Comatose
by DarkDragonGoddess
Summary: Sometimes it takes an utter tragedy for the truth to finally come out. In a world of shinobi, where nothing is what it seems, everything is about to change. Rated T. Eventual NaruSaku.
1. Comatose

Hi everyone! Here is my new fanfic, back to the angsty goodness you know me for! This will be multi-chaptered, though i don't know if i will be able to update every week, but i'll try my hardest to update as quickly as i can.  
The idea for this one came to me as i was having a rather morbid conversation with my best friend about who would cry if we died and what they would say at our funeral. Come on, you can't say you've never thought about it!

Anyway, I want to say a _MASSIVE_ thank you to **Vanilla Frazzled** for reading through this for me and to my fabulous new beta reader **MadnessinmyMethod**, you were both a huge help, i'm really grateful!  
So, please enjoy! And if you could take the time to review i would be eternally in love with you :)

**Disclaimer**: -Insert witty disclaimer about how i don't own Naruto here-

* * *

**Comatose**

It was midnight when the messenger hawk finally came.

When the news she had been waiting for arrived at long last.

Midnight when the tears began to fall from the Hokage's hazel eyes, when the important mission files she held fell to the floor, forgotten.

Midnight when she ran through the pristine halls of the hospital, the stark smell of disinfectant making her choke.

Midnight when she ripped the door from its hinges, breath catching at the awful sight before her.

Midnight.

When Tsunade saw Sakura dying.

_**- - -Three Days Later- - -**_

It was finally over.  
Everything that could be done had been done.

Collapsing into the nearest chair; briefly running tired hands through now greasy, golden locks; Tsunade sighed in frustration. Fatigue showed clearly on the Hokage's face, her drooping eyes were rimmed with dark circles and her complexion was sickly pale. She had spent the past three days battling to save her students life and the effects of sleep deprivation were beginning to show.  
Tsunade knew she should use this moment to get some sleep, but she couldn't bring herself to lose focus for even a second; couldn't bring herself to close her eyes, for she knew what she would see if she did.  
Every time unconsciousness beckoned to her, that bloody scene always came back to the forefront of her mind.

Sakura.

She was just...lying there, devoid of motion. Normally animated jade eyes now glazed and dilated, once bright bubblegum pink hair dark and matted with her own blood. It clung to her battered face, where bright gashes marred her once perfect features and mottled purple and black bruises transformed it into the grotesque. Her clothes, or what used to be her clothes, were charred so badly that they had melted into her skin, the tang of burnt flesh permeated the tiny room as monitors beeped and medics frantically tried to bandage the shredded mess that were her arms and legs.

Beep...

Beep...

Beep...

Slamming her hands down onto the chair so violently that the arms began to crack and split, Tsunade forced her eyes open once more.  
The hard work was finished now, she had saved her students life, but there was still much to do and people to inform of the situation.  
Her husband, her best friend, her parents.

This brought out another sigh from the exhausted woman, how was she going to tell the people Sakura loved the most that she might never wake up again? Never be the person they once knew?  
It was all too much.

That was the moment that Tsunade finally let her weakness catch up with her, come crashing down upon her, as the hot, salty tears cascaded down her face.  
And there, alone in the darkness, she wept for her only student.

* * *

"Shut up you moron."

The low buzz of voices in the small ramen bar was split by a very loud, very boisterous laugh and many of the patrons turned to stare at the noisemaker in a rather annoyed fashion. Not that said noisemaker noticed, or cared; his bright blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he nudged the slouching man next to him.

"Oh come on Shikamaru! There's no need to get so defensive!"

"I'm not." Shikamaru replied, twirling the steaming hot ramen in his bowl around with his chopsticks. "I'm just bored of this conversation."

This comment only seemed to make Naruto's grin wider.

"So why _is_ it that you don't like me talking about her like _that_?" He asked slyly, his eyes swivelling to the person fast approaching them. "Well, speak of the devil! Here she is now!"

Stifling a loud groan rather unsuccessfully, Shikamaru turned to greet his team mate, but as soon as he saw the crestfallen look on her face he forgot the sarcastic comment that had been about to tumble from his lips. A second later he was on his feet, a comforting hand on her arm.

"What's the matter Ino?"

"I just need to sit down for a bit." The blonde kunoichi replied with a tentative smile "Get me some water would you?"

Perching on the edge of a seat at the bar with practiced ease, she accepted the offered glass from Shikamaru a moment later with another one of those hesitant smiles. Shikamaru had worked with Ino since they were twelve years old, over eleven years ago now, so he had been around her for long enough to know what that sort of smile meant.

And he knew when not to push her to talk; she would tell them when she had prepared herself for it. Whether that be in five minutes or half an hour, she would talk. It was best to just leave it be.

Turning back to his ramen, he prayed that Naruto wouldn't say anything. He didn't want to this to turn into a scene. _That_ would be too troublesome. He hadn't seen Ino this shaken up in a long time, it had to be something pretty serious. He watched as her hand trembled as she sipped the water, sloshing it around in the glass erratically, as he tried to figure out what might be wrong. Flashing Naruto a quick warning glare when he looked like he was about to say something, he turned back to his contemplations, his brow furrowing slightly in thought.

A few moments later, a stifled sob broke the tension as Ino prepared to speak.

"You have to come with me; the Hokage has called an emergency meeting." She said abruptly, her voice quivering with the weight of the tears she wouldn't allow herself to cry. "You too Naruto."

"Huh? What does the old hag want now?" the blonde asked, oblivious as always to the weight of the situation.

"Just come with me" were her only words before she pushed herself off of the stool and hurried out of the restaurant, setting a brisk pace toward the Hokage tower.

Turning her eyes to the sky, Ino felt the presence of her two fellow Jounin following her and watched as two small birds fluttered in the sun, chirping obliviously as they flitted through the cloudless sky. Closing her eyes briefly, she felt the slight breeze in the air and the warmth of the sun on her face, it was a beautiful day. It should have been a _perfect _day she thought bitterly. She would have spent a day like today with Sakura, training, having a picnic, or even just sitting in the sun and letting her play with her hair as they talked...

"Ino?"

Ino wasn't sure whether or not she should be glad for the interruption of her thoughts. "What?" She replied brusquely.

"So what is this meeting all about?" asked Naruto, inquisitive as ever.

"I can't tell you."

"But I really want to know!" He retorted, his voice taking on a slight demanding tone.

"No."

"Please?"

"_No._" Ino replied much more forcefully.

"_Please?_"

"_It's Sakura! _OK? It's _Sakura_!" Ino shouted so loudly that she felt the sound start to burn the back of her throat. "It's Sakura" she repeated more softly as she fought the weak feeling in her knees.

Ino's declaration was met with a painful silence, the kind that makes it seem as if everyone is holding their breath. A crunch of a boot on the path eventually broke the stillness as a now stone faced Naruto began to walk, even faster than Ino had been walking, toward their destination.

"Let's go. Now." He called to those behind him.

As they began to follow, Shikamaru fell into step with a shaken Ino and leaned in slightly as he whispered, "What about Sasuke?"

"He has been told, but he'll be there, at the meeting I mean."

"How is he taking it?"

"The way he usually does, by showing no emotion whatsoever. No one can get him to say a thing." She replied with a slight shiver. Sasuke truly scared her sometimes, the fact that he could show nothing but apathy in a situation like this one chilled her to the bone.

"But... how can he possibly do this? He's her _husband_ Ino. He has to be feeling _something_."

Ino opened her mouth to reply but all she could manage was a slight wheeze of emotion as she tried to force out the words. The fleeting image of a prone and pallid Sakura crossing behind her eyes as she fought the tears back once more.

* * *

Clearing her throat, Tsunade swept her eyes across the room to make sure everyone was there; trying her hardest not to look directly at Naruto, the look on his face was heartbreaking. Deciding that all were present, the Hokage stood slowly behind her huge oaken desk and began to address the group.

"I'm sure most of you know why you are here already, so I'm going to cut to the chase. Sakura Haruno recently left with a small team to undertake an important A class mission, she returned three days ago. She was...badly injured. We fought to save her life, but she has been left in a coma."

Tsunade paused to brush a lock of hair from her face as she hesitated to say the next sentence. Tears were running freely down both Ino and Naruto's cheeks, though they did not make a sound.

Blinking her own tears away, Tsunade forced herself to speak.

"We ..."  
Still unable to say the words with everyone staring at her, she turned to look out of the window behind her. "We don't know if she will ever wake up."  
Letting out a small sigh at the soft gasps that followed, she cradled her face in her hands as she prepared for the next statement.  
"You should all say your goodbyes to Sakura in case... she doesn't make it."

The silence that followed said it all. No-one truly able to comprehend what had just happened.  
Still and blurry eyed incomprehension.  
Everyone stood frozen, waiting for someone to say something, to do something.

Eventually, though whether it was ten seconds or ten minutes no-one could say; the Hokage moved across to sit in her chair, hands still covering her face.

"Someone bring me some sake." She asked weakly.


	2. Secrets

Hi all, quick authors note here, I am **_SO_** sorry for not updating for such a long time! Things have been so hectic lately, but i promised myself i would get the next chapter of Comatose done before i head off to Uni. One of many things i promised i would do mind you, but this seems to be the only thing I've managed to get done!

I'm so so so so so sorry! But it's here now, full of all the angsty angst you know me for, hopefully it will make up for the wait! I ended up listening to alot of music writing this, mostly 'This Night' by Black Lab and 'Call Me' by Shinedown, hopefully the wonderful emotion of these songs has seeped through somewhat!

This is UN beta-ed, so please let me know if you spot anything mis-spelt or anything like that! I'm in great need of a beta reader so feel free to volunteer!

* * *

**Comatose Chapter 2 - Secrets**

It was early morning in Konoha, so early that the sun was only just beginning to grace the village with its presence on the horizon and the sky was still mostly dark.  
The view was spectacular, the blend between the inky blackness of night and the rosy heat of the sun felt almost surreal and the way the approaching light illuminated the few wispy clouds in the sky with a soft, warm light was inspiring.

Completely unaffected by the beautiful sight before him, a lone figure sat at the end of the pier on the lake, legs dangling off of the edge. Though deep in thought, his face was blank, it was a mask so completely fused to him that he couldn't let it slip even if he tried.  
Not that it was always this way of course. He used to brim with emotion. Hatred mostly; revenge, hope, friendship and he had even, on occasion, felt like he had somewhere he belonged.  
But that was all a distant memory now.

On a whim Sasuke leant down and let his fingers slip into the cool, clear water, ripples radiating out from his touch to lap at the edge lazily.

He knew what had happened of course, it was inevitable really. Setting his heart on revenge, he had set out to destroy.  
He had killed them all.  
Orochimaru.  
Kabuto.  
Itachi.  
Danzou.  
Now he was empty, a mere vessel of whom he once was. Every step taken closer to fulfilling his revenge draining his ability to _feel._

A part of him wanted to hate what he had become, but he couldn't reach it, no matter how hard Sasuke tried he just couldn't bring himself to feel anything. Even when he recalled his brother's smile as his katana pierced Itachi's heart, even when he brought to mind Danzou's frenzied pleas to spare his life and even when he remembered that fateful day when he found his beloved parents lying face down in their own blood. The thought that his wife lay dying in hospital provoked no emotion at all. There was just nothing there.

Not that he could let anyone know that of course.

With the arrogant blood of the Konoha aristocracy running thick through his veins, it was a matter of reputation; not to mention that if anyone knew then it would make living in Konoha much more difficult than it needed to be.

_Certain_ things may come to light that he did not wish anyone to know. Things that would become obvious if he was to be found out.

So he stuck to his rigid silence and the facade that everything was alright. There was one person, though, that Sasuke suspected knew all of this; who always knew much more than he let on. He most likely wouldn't say anything to anyone, he preferred to watch events unfold and listen more than he spoke. There was always that small grain of niggling doubt at the back of his mind about whether he would keep completely silent though and Sasuke felt it was wise to hang on to it. He knew that the man's strong sense of justice would prevent him from staying quiet if the information was needed for a matter of importance.

Sasuke's dark thoughts were interrupted by a faint rustling from the bushes and trees to his right; He turned his head slightly to see a familiar figure emerging from thick brush surrounding the lake.

"Speak of the devil" he muttered to himself.

"I'm not sure why you seem to say that whenever I arrive Sasuke." A sleepy looking Shikamaru countered in a sly tone as he sat down "It's troublesome to think that I'm always on your mind"

"Don't dwell on it then" Sasuke retorted. He had no doubt that the rustling that Shikamaru had made on his arrival was for his benefit, if he hadn't wanted to be detected then he wouldn't have been, he had just wanted Sasuke to know he was there. That would have irritated him greatly in the past, but now it just seemed to slip over him. "What do you want Nara?"

"Will you go to her?" he asked bluntly.

"No" Sasuke's reply was just as blunt.

Shikamaru sighed and flashed a concerned look his way. "What if she dies?" he asked quietly "You'll have missed your chance to say goodbye to her, wouldn't you regret it?"

"What's the point?" the dark haired nin replied, turning back to stare out over the lake. "Why should I care for what ifs? Why should I go and say my goodbyes and prepare for something which may never happen? I only want to know whether she lives or dies, I will go to her then and deal with the situation."

They sat there together for a moment in a silence that seemed so thick that it was painful. Eventually, unable to take it anymore, Shikamaru shifted beside him and rose to his feet, facing the opposite direction as if he were about to leave. He stood there for a few moments trying to compose himself, the small sounds of creatures waking to brightening light of the sunrise subtly breaking the silence between them for a while. It was an attempt to keep Sasuke from seeing the contempt on his face though he couldn't quite keep a hint of it from dripping from his words.

"Well, you might want to try and _force_ yourself to make the effort, people will start to talk and I'm sure that's something you want to avoid."

On that note Shikamaru began to walk away from the lake, rustling leaves and bushes as loud as he could, leaving Sasuke sat alone on the pier, as if the other nin had never been there, weighing up the pros and cons of Shikamaru's statement. Not for one moment considering that any other husband would not have to think about it at all.

* * *

Lying stiffly in his uncomfortable bed, the sweat soaked and rumpled sheets that barely covered him evidence of his nightmare plagued and fitful sleep, the exhausted blonde nin turned his painfully red eyes to the window to find that the sun was finally rising.

He wasn't sure whether it was a welcome sight or not.

Turning his gaze back to the ceiling, his pained eyes creating swirls and shadows that weren't there, he tried not to think at all. He knew if he did then he would just think about the same thing he had been thinking about all night.

He had been to see her of course, how could he not, but seeing her like that...

Seeing her so defenceless, so...broken, had brought up a wall of rage and sorrow so great that his vision had just gone red. He didn't really remember much after that, he was told that he had had to be restrained and held down for two hours before he calmed down again and stopped screaming. Not that he remembered that, but the burning in his throat was definitely evidence for it.

Sighing weakly, he realised for the hundredth time that he needed to prepare a proper goodbye, but every time he tried words escaped him. He just couldn't put into words how he felt, didn't want to, _couldn't_, it was all too much.

Just as he felt the tears welling up and threatening to fall again he heard the soft click of his front door as someone entered. Did he leave it unlocked? Not that it mattered.

It was a testament to his exhaustion that he didn't get up to investigate when he heard a loud clattering in the kitchen that sounded like someone was seriously abusing his cutlery, what little he had of it. A moment later his bedroom door was being pushed open by a familiar face.

"Naruto, you look like death warmed up." Ino proclaimed as she bustled in and thrust a steaming bowl of something into his hands, which he immediately put onto his bedside table.

"Yeah and you look like an oil painting yourself." He replied tactlessly. Though it may have been true; Ino was without her precisely applied makeup, hair scraped back carelessly, eyes rimmed with red and her bottom lip sporting a scabbed over cut where she had been chewing it; it probably wasn't the best thing to say.

"Yes, well, you're not the only one in pain are you?" she replied brusquely, turning her face away from his as she sat on the edge of his bed. "I brought you porridge."

Naruto looked at his friend silently until she turned back to look at him.

"I know. I'm sorry" he said.

"Me too. But you really need to get yourself up, at least keep yourself busy."

"I can't." Naruto replied "You of all people should know that."  
"I know..."

"Ino, only you know what Sakura truly was to me, what we kept a secret from everyone else." Naruto's now watery eyes held Ino's gaze as he spoke, desperate to convey this emotion to her. "If anyone _can_, only you can truly know depths of the pain I feel. I can't help thinking that if, back then, If only I had..."

"Don't Naruto, just _don't_." Ino snapped "You know you shouldn't think about that anymore, _especially_ now. You know what happened was the Elders decision. The _Elders_, do you hear me? There was nothing you could have done back then; you had to let her do it, for the safety of the village. Don't let her sacrifice be in vain." She paused a little as if surprised at hearing the anger in her voice. When she spoke again her voice had softened, tears in her own eyes too. "Don't get caught up in the bad memories, what could have been, think about all the good things you shared. Trust me."

Ino knew then, from the pained look he gave her and from that heartbreaking melancholy smile, that he did trust her. He had always been this trusting of others, even now that he was nearing twenty four, and at that moment it was a quality she found herself appreciating more than she thought possible.  
Reluctantly averting his gaze, Naruto ran a hand through his hair, his body trembling with emotion.

"Sometimes, even after she got married, she used to just come here to the apartment and let herself in, just like you did, and I used to see that look on her face... and I would just know. I would hold her in my arms, for hours, barely speaking, barely breathing, till she fell asleep; her head on my shoulder and breath on my neck, her arms around me so tightly... yes, that's one of the moments I'll remember most." Tears were running freely down his cheeks now, though he was still smiling. "I'll remember it forever." He whispered and he clasped his face in his hands as he cried, the painful sobs racking his body.  
After seeing Naruto; cheerful, carefree Naruto, break down, Ino could no longer contain her own anguish. She pulled him into a hug as she cried, sharing in their grief.

And as she sat there, holding a sobbing Naruto as they both wept, she stared at the photo of Team 7 as innocent children of twelve Naruto still kept beside his bed; remembering how good those times had truly been and wondering why there had to be so many secrets. Knowing that she could never tell Naruto what Sakura had truly sacrificed.

Knowing that it would only break his heart all over again.

* * *

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

The constant noise of the machines around him seemed to lull Shikamaru into a trance; he just sat there in the small wooden hospital chair and stared.  
At first it had been hard for him to comprehend it; he just couldn't put the image of the Sakura he knew and _this_Sakura together in his mind.

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

It just wasn't her.

It took a long time, perhaps hours, before he slowly began to accept the sight before him.

_Beep._

_Beep._

_Beep._

This was her.

He knew then that it was time to say his goodbyes, but Shikamaru had never really been good with expressing his feelings. But it was something he had to do; he had to let Sakura know he had truly cared for her, that he had respected her, that he had valued her friendship more than she knew.  
But how to say it?  
He sat there just looking at her for what seemed an age.

Eventually he smiled, took her hand gently and simply said, "Goodbye Sakura,"

He knew she would understand.

* * *

Please Review, your comments and advice mean the world to me. x


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